New York Rangers: Man the lifeboats! The ship is sinking!
By Steve Paulus
Flaws
There’s no doubt this team has flaws and it isn’t just age and lack of playing time together. The entire team falls apart in their defensive zone at times. The shooting gallery it becomes can be scary. The lack of depth at center is a real problem and the management team needs to figure out if they have an in-house solution or if they have to go elsewhere to fix it. The over-dependence on the top line is putting pressure on them and that affects the whole team.
They still have to figure out what to do with pending free agent Krieder. Even in goal, where they are best, they have a looming problem with Igor Shesterkin knocking on the door and potentiality a three headed monster in net.
And they have to figure out how it’s possible that they can come out and sleepwalk through two periods of a game before waking up and actually playing. Is that on the coaching staff or on the players?
A bad good start
The worst thing that could have happened was winning their first two games. Let’s not forget those games. On opening night they allowed 47 shots. They gave up three leads. Of the Jets’ tying goals, one came nine seconds after a Ranger goal and the other was within 30 seconds. It was a thrilling win, but it wasn’t a well played game.
The Blueshirts dominated the second game in Ottawa, but digest this fact. The Senators are the only team in the NHL with fewer points than the Rangers. That was a game that they should have won.
The team rode Mika Zibanejad‘s unbelievable start in those two games. The fact is that he alone accounted for 28% of the total points scored and 40% of their total goals. Inevitably, he would come back to earth and when he did the Rangers lost. In the four games since, he has 15% of the total points and no goals.
At any rate, the two wins established a false expectation that has been shattered in the last four games. Don’t forget that the Rangers had seven days to revel in their undefeated status, a quick trip back to planet Earth would have benefited the team in the long run.
At the very least, it would have reminded where the team was a year ago.